Safety signal appliance.



w. A. woons. SAFETY SIGNAL APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 1910.

Patented Feb. 7, 1911.

WILLIAM A. WOODS, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SAFETY SIGNAL APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. l, 1911.

Application filed February 2, 1910. Serial No. 541,515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lVILLL-iii A. lVoons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of ll isconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Signal Appliances, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to a railroad signal it device and consists. of a fusee, a lighter,

gripping devices carried by the lighter for the purpose of engaging a rail, pedo carried by the lighter when both an audible and visible signal are desired.

The object of the invention is to produce a visible signal in the form of a red glare of lightgiven forth at the same time that a torpedo is exploded and designed to call the attention of the engineer to the signal in case the report of the torpedo was not heard by him. It frequently happens that when the torpedo only is depended upon the report is not as loud as is necessaryto attract the attention of the engineer and the signal therefore oes unheeded which would not be the case if in addition to the. torpedo a red light was given forth at the same time.

In the accompanyin drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view s owing the device in no position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, a rail eing in section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a cap. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a fusee.- Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of thelighter with topedo attached.

In these drawings, 1 represents the fusee provided at one end with aprong 2- for engagement with the tie and at the other end with'a cap 3 which cap is longitudinally 1c slotted as shown at 4 in order that it may fit down over the lighter 5 which lighter projects through a suitable opening 6 into the fusee.

The free end of the lighter is provided v with a tor e'do 8 and'curve 'pping prongs 7 adapte to engage opposite sldes of the tread portion of the rail, thus preventing v1- and a tortrack rails.

' the free end of the brations of the rail, caused by the jar of an approaching train,"'dislodging the and lighter.

The torpedo 8 is applied to the lighter as shown in Fig. 5 and is held by the prongs 7 in position upon the rail tread to be engaged by the wheels.

As will be noted from Fig. 1 the device is dropped upon the outer side of one of the As the Wheels strike the torpedo 8 the same will be set off thus igniting the lighter 5 whiclrin turn will fire the com pound carried by the fusee and a suitably colored light will flare up about the engine. At the same time the torpedo 8 will be exploded and the engineer will receive a double signal.

The cap 3 is of the same material as the outer covering of the fuse 5, preferably a readily inflammable paper compound. In constructing a device of this kind the fuse torpedo contains a material which also gives out a red light. An engineer upon hearing a torpedo will instinctively look out of the cab window, and very often in stormy weather or during the firing of the furnace he may not be absolutely'sure that the sound which attracted his attention was that of a torpedo, but with a device constructed as described above the engineer can have no 'doubtsas to the origin or nature of the sound, since the glare of the red light can readily be seen by him from the window of the cab. This light will also act as a protectionfor the rear of the train striking the torpedo and brought to a standstill by it.

What I claim is: A device of the kind described consisting of a fusee, a cap carried thereby, a lighter passing through the side of the cap and into the fusee, rail en aging means carried by lighter and a torpedo carried by said lighter. WILLIAM A. WOODS. lVitnesses:

S. A. Eoxs'rnm, Jos. ll-BECK. 

